Chef Bill

After almost 30 years of marriage I've been thinking that Bill should take on some of the cooking. After all, he is retired and I am still working long hours. To give my husband due credit, though, I have to say that there have always been a few things that he can cook, such as pancakes and cookies. But it’s time for him to expand his repertoire and we’ve been working towards that end.

So for now Bill has kitchen duty on Wednesday nights. I am in Bar Harbor all day teaching and practicing and he is at home. One night he made a delicious dish of chicken and olives from a recipe that we saved from our newspaper. He followed the clear, step-by-step instructions and it came out perfectly. Lately I’ve been trying to teach him how to make one of our absolute favorite dinners, salmon with roasted potatoes. These are dishes I’ve experimented and played with and I can’t give him an exact recipe. I tend to say add a little minced garlic or sprinkle with salt and pepper, while a bona-fide recipe would call for 2 cloves of garlic and a half teaspoon of salt. But he is getting the hang of it quite well and I see lots of potential! Who knows, maybe one of these days I’ll catch him searching thru my vast collection of cookbooks on his own, eagerly anticipating his next Wednesday night meal.

Baked Salmon

Rinse a 1 pound salmon fillet and pat dry. Put into an oiled baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes, until fish flakes easily. While the fish is cooking soften a tablespoon of butter and add some chopped herbs (parsley, rosemary, oregano, etc.) When fish is done, dot with the herb butter. This serves 2 generously, with enough leftover to top a salad for lunch the next day.

Roasted Potatoes

Wash and dry some small red or fingerling potatoes, enough for 2 servings. If necessary cut some in half to make them of a uniform size. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and lightly coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add some minced garlic, to taste. Bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. You can start these while preparing the salmon and have everything come out of the oven at the same time.

Serve this healthy and delicious meal with a salad or green veggie and a glass of red wine. Bon appétit!